The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been a diagnosis of exclusion or a diagnosis based on a patient's presenting symptoms. Further, when patients present with gastrointestinal symptoms, distinguishing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) from other types of gastrointestinal ailments, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (e.g., ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease), can be difficult or can require invasive procedures to rule out IBD. Currently in the art, there is no means of diagnosing IBS or distinguishing IBS from other disorders of bowel dysfunction. The convention usually requires invasive testing which has inherent risks, great expense and morbidity to patients.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for methods and systems to diagnose IBS and to distinguish between IBS and IBD, particularly in less invasive fashions.